Our Summer Journey like a Sunrise.

Something took place yesterday that Jayne and I have been praying for to happen. It is a type of Sunrise.

{ The Darkness }

Jayne graduated from FSU with a degree in media production in December 2012. She has been out of work since this past April. These past 7 months have been a financial and emotional struggle in which we have still managed to scrape together enough money at the end of each month to pay our bills and afford our expenses. Being newly married, I have begun to feel the weight my responsibility to meet the needs of my sweet wife and future children. It has put a type of pressure on me that I have never felt before but always heard about and seen in others. At times I have felt full of worry, doubt and fear that we wouldn’t be able to provide for ourselves or find jobs and not to mention the waned feeling of our self-esteem that can come with being unemployed.

{ The Transition }

Since the beginning of summer, we have made it through each month. It is wholly due to receiving so much love and support from all our relationships. We have been given:

Dog-sitting gigs from my sister’s In-laws and also from Jayne’s Parents (Thank You Eddie and Roze, Papa Don and Mama Heide!)

Babysitting gigs from my Sister and Brother-In-Law (Thank you Matt and Cindel!)

Freelance videography work from Jayne’s Aunt, Uncle and cousins (Thank you Bill and Gail, Natalie and Scott!)

Graphic design work from friends around Tallahassee (Thanks Fellas!)

Purposely late wedding gifts from my Insightful Aunt and Uncle (Thank you Mike and Javonna!)

A slew of little jobs in between that came right when we needed them.

My employer Ron Woodson (A.K.A. Pop), owner of Mom and Pops Hotdogs on FSU campus, made daily sacrifices to open up the hotdog stand during its slow season for business in order to give me enough hours to make it through summer with a steady income. He at times wouldn’t make a penny from the days sales after paying me for my hours at work and covering his daily costs. On top of that, he brought large quantities of food from his Wife’s (Ruby Woodson A.K.A. Mom) restaurant Ruby’s Diner. We saved so much money because of not having to buy any food groceries (plus its AMAZING Home cooked food!). I greatly appreciate his kindness and generosity that he gave willingly and with a loving heart. He has shown me the importance of sacrifice and the impact that it can have on another person’s life. Because of all the support and thoughtfulness shown us we have successfully survived and had no major issues. More importantly, we have had peace of mind knowing that there are so many people around us that would (and did) go out of there way to see us through.

{ The Sun }

During this time in our lives we have a lot of questions about our future and what we should aim to do with it. We have applied for so many different jobs, some that appeared promising and didn’t come through, sent out hundreds of resumes with no affirmative response. And after feeling like we didn’t have anything to offer the world… we were offered jobs! Wilderness Graphics of Tallahassee Fl has extended an offer to Jayne to be a full-time writer in both creative and technical work. I have been offered a position as a part-time Fabricator. We were informed yesterday afternoon and we begin on Monday.

{ The Glow }

We feel so thankful to our Heavenly Father for giving us an amazing Family and such dear friends. We couldn’t be happier at this time. Thank you to everyone who has helped us, prayed for us and kept us in your heart! We can’t wait to start working!

We took these photos this morning at Ballast Point Park in South Tampa, FL. for more visit our Facebook.

Chase and Jayne – What an inspiration it is to peruse your website. Thank you for spending the afternoon discussing your aspirations and dreams with me. You are both amazing. Congratulations on the new jobs. – Brian.